Simon & Kerry got married at one of our favourite venues, Wotton House in Dorking, Surrey in March 2019 – as we are privileged to be their sole recommended videographer so it means we get to go to film lots of weddings there!
After the wedding we asked the couple a few questions about the plans leading up to the day and any helpful advice that they can give to couples at the start of their wedding planning process.
Kerry told us all about the Proposal:
“Simon and I had a holiday planned in September but he thought I might be hoping for a proposal while we were away and he wanted to catch me off guard when I least expected it. I’m extremely close to my family so he suggested a weekend at my Mum and Dads just before our holiday. I thought it a bit odd at first as we’d only recently seen them but then my mum invited Simon’s Mum and Step-Dad. I then just thought it was a casual family meal as my Mum couldn’t keep a secret about something like this from me so I knew there was no way she could be in on anything and obviously just wanted to get to know Simon’s family better.
Kerry & Simon told us that they wanted a classy but understated wedding, but with a party to remember! They’re hired the super-talented Simon Pope from BeUnveiled Wedding Photography (who we have worked with loads!), myself and Simon covered the wedding naturally and unobtrusively as the day flowed.
The couple decided to have their wedding filmed because a number of their friends had told them that it was their biggest regret not having a wedding video (something we hear SO MUCH!) – they told us that they day went by so quickly and by having the wedding film they could look back at it and re-live the day, enjoying every moment again. There are also rumours that Kerry’s Mum watches the video at least once a day!
Kerry got her gorgeous dress from a shop called Whyte Weddings in Worthing, East Sussex. It was the first shop she’d been too, fell and love, ordered the dress and cancelled the other dress appointments! You really must see her dress in the video below, she looked stunning!
We also asked Kerry about their wedding inspiration, flowers and cake:
“I spent a lot of time on Pinterest but loved the idea of silvers/greys particularly as we were having a March wedding. I didn’t want too much fuss and lots of different colours so went with silver/grey for the bridesmaids, table plans, invites etc and then ivory for my dress, the flowergirls and then plain ivory flowers with a little greenery. The boys had navy suits and silver/grey ties .
For the cake I was going to go for something very plain but very randomly my mother-in-law got married last year and the family vet made her cake! I was expecting something fairly average but Helena would give TGBBO a run for their money. The only brief we gave her was that we wanted 5 tiers to feed all of our guests and wanted it ivory/white with some silver decorations. What she created was the most intricate masterpiece I’ve ever seen – it was simply stunning!
Wotton House provided all of the food- we had a wonderful tasting session (and gave the wine a thorough taste too!) that was one of the best parts of the wedding prep!”
Simon & Kerry also had a magician during the drinks reception to entertain their guests, he also performed at parts throughout the meal. Soulshine Band came from London to play into the late evening and as music was very important to the couple they’d decided to hire this amazing 9 piece band who didn’t fail to keep everyone dancing all night!
Memorable moments from the day…
“Walking down the aisle to Simon was so nerve wracking but amazing. The speeches were incredible and dancing all night with all my friends and family in one place was the icing on the cake! ” said Kerry
Tell us about your honeymoon?
“We had 10 nights in the Maldives staying at two different islands. Kuramathi and Dhigali- they were both amazing and pure bliss after a busy lead up to the wedding. “
Do you have any key tips or advice for couples planning their wedding?
- Get a spreadsheet with all the things you need to do and by when.
- Get lots of things done early, as my experience of any project tells me you always need contingency- we had a load of last minute changes to guests so I was thankful I’d been so organised up front to try and reduce the amount of last minute stress!
- If you don’t have an argument or upset someone agreeing your guest list then you’ve done better than us! It’s the hardest job and you’ll never please everyone so just remember it’s your day and you have to do what’s right for you both.
- Definitely get a great photographer and videographer!
Here is Simon & Kerry’s wedding film below!
